2011 Cisco Connected World Technology Report: The Greatest Hits

Over the course of the past few months, we’ve been releasing the findings of the Cisco Connected World Technology Report – and today, we’re announcing the third and final chapter of the 2011 Report. If you’ve seen the previous two chapters from the Report, you’ll know that some Milennials claim the Internet is as important to them as air, food, water, or shelter. Or that others would rather have Internet access instead of a car, prefer to spend time on Facebook instead of dating or socializing in person, or choose to have their wallet stolen instead of their smartphone.

But this Internet-at-any-price mentality can come with a cost, as nearly one in four college students and employees also admitted to experiencing some form of identity theft before the age of 30. With the line blurring between personal and work devices – and 70% of young employees admitting to breaking IT policies with varying regularity – this should serve as a wake-up call for IT departments.

That’s exactly what Cisco CIO Rebecca Jacoby, CSO John Stewart and VP of IT Lance Perry will be talking about today in this Cisco TV broadcast, which coincides with the launch of the third and final chapter of the Cisco Connected World Technology Report. In this video, the panel of Cisco executives discuss how IT departments can take a harder look at their policies as young employees’ desires for more flexible access to social media, devices, and remote access test the limits of traditional corporate cultures.

As an added bonus, the final chapter’s findings are explored in more depth in the 2011 Cisco Annual Security Report, also released today. Be sure to read it here: www.cisco.com/go/securityreport

And as we put the final touches on the 2011 version of the Cisco Connected World Technology Report, it’s certainly worth a look back at the Greatest Hits from this year’s Report. It’s not exactly something you can file along with your Michael Bolton and REO Speedwagon CDs of the same title, but definitely something that has grabbed the attention of a global audience, measured by the levels of press coverage around the world.

One of every three college students and young employees believes the Internet is a fundamental resource for the human race – as important as air, water, food and shelter. About half believe it is “pretty close” to that level of importance.

More than half of the respondents said they could not live without the Internet and cite it as an “integral part of their lives.”

If forced to make a choice between one or the other, two of three college students would choose an Internet connection instead of a car.

Two of five college students said the Internet is more important to them than dating, going out with friends, or listening to music; and more than one in four said saying updated on Facebook was more important than partying/dating/music/friends.

Two of five said they would accept a lower-paying job that had more flexibility with regard to device choice, social media access, and mobility than a higher-paying job with less flexibility.

More than half of college students said that if they encountered a company that banned access to social media, they would either not accept a job offer or would join and find a way to circumvent corporate policy.

If given the choice of either losing their purse/wallet or mobile device, more than half said they’d rather lose their wallet/purse.

Regarding security-related issues in the workplace, seven of every 10 employees admitted to knowingly breaking IT policies on a regular basis, and three of five believe they are not responsiblefor protecting corporate information and devices.

One in five college students admitted standing outside of retail outlets to use free wireless connections.

One in four experience identity theft before the age of 30, and two of five college students said they know of friends or family members who have experienced identity theft.

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